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This chapter covers the highly publicized early administration of Charles Evers in Fayette, where he fought both local whites and state Democrats to bring municipal services to Fayette. Evers quickly looked beyond Fayette and made a concerted but futile effort to become elected governor in 1971, a race that did little to expand black political power in the state. Despite his penchant for the limelight and autocratic political style, black candidates made quiet gains on the county and municipal level in the 1970s. These grassroots political campaigns messed with older forms of civil rights...

This chapter covers the highly publicized early administration of Charles Evers in Fayette, where he fought both local whites and state Democrats to bring municipal services to Fayette. Evers quickly looked beyond Fayette and made a concerted but futile effort to become elected governor in 1971, a race that did little to expand black political power in the state. Despite his penchant for the limelight and autocratic political style, black candidates made quiet gains on the county and municipal level in the 1970s. These grassroots political campaigns messed with older forms of civil rights activism, indicating the continuance of 1960s direct action. While most of these gains came from black candidates running within the Democratic Party, the continued refusal of the state party to meaningfully integrate led many black candidates to continue to utilize independent candidacies.